I Promise
by Nat aka Merry
Summary: One-shot. Ryan's big brother complex over Danielle and Valeria prevents him from sitting around idly while they go off on their first dates of the new school year. Chaos ensues.


**I Promise**

**Basic Summary**: Danielle and Valeria get dates and Ryan goes into big brother mode.

**Rating**: T for language.

**Disclaimer**: High School Musical and all related characters do not belong to the author. Valeria Locke and Zack Bedingfield, however, do. Danielle Lawrencia belongs to ax1000xdays.

**Author's Notes**: I'm pretty sure I had way too much fun with this. Seriously. I got the giggles countless times. My friends can vouch for my temporary insanity while writing this. My musical inspiration for this was "I Promise" by Stacie Orrico. It fits. It's also what I imagine Ryan singing while Valeria is falling asleep. (I know, I'm ridiculous.)

Enjoy!

* * *

"Dani, Dani, Dani, where did I put my black dress?! You know, the one that's backless? I can't find it anywhere!"

"I don't know, but I can't find my yellow dress either!"

"Oh my god, this is going to be a disaster!"

"Wait, I found your black dress! Catch!"

Ryan Evans ducked just in time to avoid a bundle of black fabric as it flew through the limited space between the closets of his best friends. The girl who had thrown the dress, Danielle Lawrencia, immediately returned to rummaging through her closet without so much as acknowledging Ryan's presence. The Latina was clad in a bathrobe, having recently showered after a dance rehearsal. Judging by this and what he had heard, Ryan guessed she was fretting over what to wear. This confused him, though no more so than a few other questions that had been nagging at his mind since he had entered the girls' dorm room.

Like why the _hell_ "SexyBack" by Justin Timberlake was playing at an annoyingly loud volume while the two girls yelled back and forth over the music.

Or, more importantly, what they were doing.

"Um, hello? Danielle? Valeria? What in the world is going on?"

His voice was lost amongst the wailing bridge of the song, but, after catching the dress, Valeria Locke spun around and ran right into him. A surprised expression flitted across the redhead's face as he steadied her and pulled her back to arm's length. Though the dress was clutched tightly to her, it was plain to see that she only wore a camisole and a pair of tiny shorts.

"Ew, Val, you're naaaked!" he exclaimed, covering his eyes and managing to pull off a completely scandalized expression without ever cracking a smile. Valeria rolled her eyes, smacking Ryan upside the head as she hastily dashed past him and into the bathroom. Biting her lip to hold back laughter, Danielle walked over to the stereo and turned the music down.

"Hey, Ry," she greeted, walking back to her closet. "How was your day?"

"Oodles of fun. What exactly are you guys doing?" he asked, leaning against the wall. There was suddenly a triumphant cry from the inside of Danielle's closet, and she pulled out a yellow sundress. The brunette couldn't help but utter a small squeal at her luck.

"Oh, thank god!" She removed the dress from its hanger, tossing the piece of plastic back into her closet before she addressed Ryan. "We're trying to get ready. Hopefully we'll have more luck with the process now that we've found clothes," she said with a grin, moving to wait beside the closed bathroom door.

"Getting ready for what?" Ryan questioned, following after her. At that exact moment, Valeria burst out of the bathroom, a wide smile spread across her face.

"I have a date!" she proclaimed, clapping her hands together giddily. The black dress she had changed into was long-sleeved, made of a clingy material, and fell a few inches above her knees. Her attire, however, was not the reason that Ryan's jaw dropped.

"You have a DATE?!" he blurted, then immediately regretted his astonished tone when an expression of hurt flickered briefly across the redhead's face.

"Wow, thanks for that. I'd like to think that the complete makeover I underwent for college made me at least somewhat attractive," she mumbled, traipsing over to her makeup mirror and pulling up a chair. Ryan sighed, mentally kicking himself.

"That's not what I meant! You're beautiful, Val," he insisted, and when Danielle stepped out of the bathroom in her bright yellow dress, he amended, "Both of you are absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful."

"Suck up," Valeria muttered, but both of the girls were smiling. Ryan looked over to Danielle.

"Do you have a date, too?" he asked, sitting down on the edge of her bed. When he noticed that Justin Timberlake was still emanating from the stereo's speakers, he added, "And WHY is this song on repeat?" Danielle pointed a discreet finger at Valeria, sitting down at her own makeup mirror.

"I'm going to a movie with one of my dance partners," she said, rifling through her cosmetics to find foundation. Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"Is this dance partner of the male variety?" he asked suspiciously, folding his arms over his chest.

"Apparently he's very male, considering he's not singing soprano, if you know what I mean," Valeria cut in, raising her eyebrows suggestively. When a tube of glittery mascara was flicked at her head, the redhead just laughed. She picked up the offending beauty product, staring at it for a moment before asking, "Why the hell do you even HAVE this?"

"So it is a date," Ryan interjected before the conversation could veer in the direction of makeup, discussion of Danielle's dance partner's masculinity, or other girly things. Danielle turned to him, a small smirk on her lips.

"What if it is?" she asked enigmatically, returning to the eyeshadow that she was applying. Ryan groaned, falling backward on the bed with a soft thump.

"This isn't fair. My girls are growing up," he pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. Suddenly, he sat straight up. "Do I know either of these guys?"

The silence he received was enough of an answer.

"Okay, how long have you two known them?" he tried again, an uneasy feeling making an appearance in the pit of his stomach. There was another brief moment of silence, before Valeria spoke first.

"A week or so," the redhead said, leaning toward the mirror and carefully lining one of her vivid green eyes. Ryan scowled at her reflection.

"Just a week?! Val, this guy could be a serial killer-slash-rapist! You could be going out with a rapist!" he exclaimed, tossing a pillow at the back of her head. This earned the young man a glare.

"Watch the hair! It took forever to get it to curl!"

"I never thought I'd hear you say that," Ryan mused, remembering her abundance of curls from high school. He then looked over to Danielle. "Well? How about you?" Danielle suddenly became very interested in the blusher she was applying.

"Danielle?" he prompted. The Latina sighed.

"Two days."

To say that Ryan blew up would be putting it lightly.

"TWO DAYS?!"

"It's this guy that is assisting in dance for a little while. We just want to get to know each other better while he's here," Danielle explained, trying to pacify her best friend. Ryan took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself.

"I'm not even going to say anything else, for fear of giving myself a heart attack. Okay, question number three," he said. "How old are they?"

"Twenty-one," Valeria automatically answered, smiling at her reflection in the mirror, then standing and walking over to sit beside Ryan. He made a pained noise, but he supposed that, overall, a two year age difference wasn't THAT bad... Sighing, he turned his gaze to Danielle.

"And your potential serial killer? How old is he?" he asked. Out of the corner of his eye, Ryan saw Valeria tense ever so slightly, and the redhead began to scoot away from him. Danielle shifted uncomfortably in her chair, which made him even more suspicious. "Well?"

"Twenty-four."

Valeria suddenly dove for the pile of pillows at the head of Danielle's bed, with a cry of something that sounded like, "Hit the deck!"

"Twenty-four?!" Ryan screeched, and Danielle winced at the volume and pitch his dulcet voice had reached. "Danielle! This guy is five years older than you! FIVE YEARS! That's a big difference! When you were being born, he was already eating glue! He was hitting puberty while you were playing with barbies, Dani!"

"_I'M TELLIN' YA' TO LOOSEN UP MY BUTTONS, BABY, BUT YOU KEEP -_"

Ryan's tirade was interrupted by Valeria's cell phone ringing. She had quickly answered it in a hushed tone, and, cheeks flushing pink, whispered a few words before hanging up. Ryan turned to her slowly, blue eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Dare I ask who gets a ringtone like THAT?"

"My date. He's outside."

Ryan snatched the pillow Valeria had been using as a shield, buried his face in it, and screamed. Valeria raised an eyebrow, looking over at Danielle. The brunette just shrugged.

"I think he just channeled Troy."

Taking deep, even breaths, Ryan put the pillow aside. Yes, breathing was the key. Breathing would keep him from strangling his two best friends.

"Valeria, seriously," he said as the redhead stood up and smoothed imaginary wrinkles in her dress. "Please, be careful. What time do you think you'll be back?"

"I'm not sure. We're going to dinner at Bianchi's, then he said we're going to a club... Who knows, I may not be back until morning," she winked, but, seeing the look on Ryan's face, quickly added, "Kidding! I'm only kidding! You know me better than that, Ry. Don't worry about me." Valeria quickly hugged both Ryan and Danielle. She slipped on a pair of black sling-backs, grabbed her purse and jacket, and headed out the door. Sighing, Ryan fell backward to lay on the bed once more, covering his face with his hands.

"That's like telling fish not to swim," he murmured, "or birds not to fly."

"She's going to be okay, Ryan. Valeria is a big girl, she can take care of herself," Danielle said, swiveling in her chair to face him.

"I know. It just seems like she's been so... reckless, since we got here. I can't help but worry," Ryan said, staring up at the ceiling. Remembering yet another reason to worry, he sat up to look at Danielle. "Which reminds me, you going with this twenty-four year old that you've known for two days freaks me out me even more. Are you sure about this?" Just as the words left his mouth, Danielle's phone pinged with a text message.

"I'll be fine. He's not a serial killer or a rapist, promise. And he's outside, too, so I've got to go. Don't worry, Ry. Oh, and feel free to hang around in here if you need an escape from Zack." The Latina hugged Ryan, walked over and turned off the stereo, then started toward the door.

"Hey, Dani?"

"Yeah?"

"If anything happens... Just call me. You know I'd come pick you up in a heartbeat."

"I know, Ry. Thank you. I'll see you later."

The door shut softly behind Danielle, and Ryan sighed. He had planned on a night in with his best friends, but since they were both out for the evening...

'_Wonderful,_' he thought, unable to shake the uneasiness that was tugging at the back of his mind. He couldn't just sit around, and he couldn't go back to his own room and do some homework since Zack would more than likely be screaming at some game...

Suddenly, the figurative lightbulb went off in Ryan's head.

'_Zack..._'

- - - - -

"Ryan, I don't see the point of all this. Don't you think you're a little paranoid?"

"I'm not paranoid, I'm concerned. There's a difference. And how many times do I have to tell you? Don't call me Ryan, stick with the code names!"

"Fine, fine, _Jazz Square_. Jeez, who pissed in your tasteless breakfast cereal of choice?"

"Don't diss my cheerios. Now focus!"

Ryan glanced around the movie theater nervously, but found no sign of Danielle and her mystery date. He fervently wished that they would hurry up and make an appearance, for he doubted that he could loiter around in the lobby of the building for much longer without warranting a visit from security.

He had enlisted the help of his roommate, Zack, to keep an eye on Danielle and Valeria on their dates. Sure, he would feel guilty about it later, but for the moment he only felt as if something was going to go wrong. Since Ryan was more concerned about Danielle, he had chosen to follow her while Zack headed to Bianchi's to look after Valeria.

So, there he was, looking quite ready to rob a bank in a trench coat and black fedora, waiting to follow Danielle and her date into whatever movie they decided to see. Zack, being the theatre major that he was and not wanting to be outdone, had dressed in black from head to toe and covered his face in camouflage paint.

"How is Valeria doing? Is everything okay?" Ryan whispered into his cell phone, then nearly leaped out of his impromptu disguise when he caught a glimpse of a bright yellow dress.

"Everything looks fine on this end," came Zack's voice, crackling slightly over the connection. "Man, why didn't you tell me your best friend was so freaking hot?"

"Don't even think about it," the blond hissed. "I swear, if you so much as look at her the wrong way -"

"Chill, chill! You're kind of scary when you're all angry, you know that? I'm glad that you don't do it often," Zack grumbled. "She's doing fine, go do some yoga and chill the hell out."

Sighing, Ryan inched closer to the yellow dress, and, when he confirmed that it was Danielle, quickly moved back to observe from a distance.

"Okay, I've spotted her. It looks like she and her date are going into that new Tyler Perry movie. Keep me posted on Val, okay? If anything - and I mean anything - happens, call me," he said into the phone. "Jazz Square over and out."

After ending the call, Ryan cautiously followed at a safe distance behind Danielle and her date into the movie. It was difficult to see in the dark theater, but, thankfully, the Latina and the mystery man took seats a few rows from the back. This gave Ryan the opportunity to sit in an end seat on the very back row, just in case Zack called and he had to leave. The lights suddenly dimmed even more and the screen brightened, signaling that the movie was about to start. He switched his phone on vibrate, took off his fedora, and waited.

- - - - -

Forty-five minutes into the movie, Ryan had come to a conclusion.

There was not enough Madea in this movie.

Sure, the serious story line was nice and whatnot, but the title of the movie was _Madea Goes to Jail_, not _Lawyer Falls in Love with Childhood Friend-turned-Prostitute_.

On top of that, there had been very little sign of movement from both Danielle and her date. Other than reaching for popcorn or their respective drinks, the two had essentially kept their hands to themselves the entire time so far.

'_What exactly was I worried about?_' Ryan asked himself silently, leaning his head back against the seat. A sudden vibration from his pocket answered the unspoken question. The nineteen year old hurriedly got up from his seat and headed into the hallway.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Ryan -"

"Code names!"

"Valeria and her guy - who looks like a total asshole, by the way - just left the restaurant and headed across the street to the Feisty Fairy. Really, who the hell names a club that? But anyway, I'm right on the trail. I just thought I would let you know."

"Alright, thanks. Don't lose them."

"No problem. Later."

Ryan quickly ended the call, rushed back into the theater, and took his seat. A quick glance toward Danielle and her date confirmed that nothing had transpired while he was gone, and the blond sank down in his seat to wait out the rest of the movie.

- - - - -

Madea's banter with Dr. Phil was almost funny enough to keep Ryan from acknowledging the vibrating cell phone clutched in his hand... Almost.

"Talk to me," he answered as soon as he was in the hallway.

"Ryan -"

"I swear, I'm going to introduce your Xbox to Boi when Sharpay visits if you don't start using code names."

"You freaking owe me, man. I just narrowly avoided getting my neck broken by a bouncer."

"What did you do to him?"

"Nothing! He thought I was some sort of stalker because of my disguise... I made it into the club, though, and I'm keeping an eye on your girl. Right now they're just sitting around and talking. She's not much for dancing, is she?"

"No, not really. She's only ever danced with Dani or me. Keep me posted, okay?"

"Aye aye, captain."

This time, when Ryan entered the theater, his eyes were drawn to two empty seats that had been occupied by Danielle and her date. Panicking, he glanced quickly around the theater for any sign that the two had moved to different seats. Finding none, he half-ran back to the lobby, thinking that they could have gone for more popcorn or something of the like. When there was no sign of the pair in the lobby, at the concession stand, or back in the theater, Ryan had no choice but to give up his search. Sighing, he decided to head back to the residence hall in hopes that Danielle's date had ended early and she would be there.

Ryan had completed half of the two-block walk back to the dorms when his cell phone vibrated once more. He answered, frustrated and tired.

"What is it, Zack?"

"Jazz Square, this is Shakespeare. We have a problem."

"What's wrong?" Ryan asked, suddenly uneasy.

"I'm not for sure, man. It happened pretty fast. One minute, your girl and her date are about to head onto the dance floor. The next, they're surrounded by all these guys in tuxes, they all start talking about something and laughing, your girl slaps the guy and walks out. I think she caught a cab."

As soon as the words met his ears over the connection, Ryan's phone vibrated again, signaling someone else was calling in. When he pulled the phone away to look at the caller ID, Valeria's name flashed across the screen.

"Look, I have to go, she's calling in. Thanks, I'll see you later on." Ryan quickly hung up with Zack and switched over to answer Valeria's call. "Hello?"

"Ryan?"

The redhead's shaky voice only worsened his uneasiness.

"Val, what's wrong?" he asked quickly, pausing in his walk back to campus. A small noise that sounded like a sob met his ears, then a sniffle.

"Are you still in our dorm?"

"No, but I can be in just a few minutes. Where are you?"

"I'm on my way... I'm in a cab..."

"Say no more - I'll be waiting for you when you get there."

"Thanks, Ry. I really appreciate it."

"Any time, Val. I'll see you soon."

- - - - -

Ten minutes later found Ryan standing outside Danielle and Valeria's dorm, pacing back and forth as he waited. It had only taken him five minutes to reach the building due to the fact that he had run the entire way, but Valeria had not yet made it back. He had quickly abandoned both trench coat and fedora in his own dorm, and was left with nothing to do but wait. Sighing, the blond ran his hands through his hair, stopping to lean tiredly against the door.

The clicking of high heels met his ears and, soon enough, Valeria appeared at the top of the staircase. Ryan immediately pushed himself off of the wall to face her. With one look at her red-rimmed eyes, he held out his arms. Valeria bit her quivering lower lip, taking a few steps toward him before dropping the jacket and purse she had been clutching and running into her best friend's embrace.

"Please don't say that you told me so," she whispered against his shoulder, tightening the hold of her arms around his waist. Ryan made to shush her, but suddenly paused. He pulled her back to arm's length.

"He was a serial killer-slash-rapist?!" he exclaimed, blue eyes growing wide. Valeria scoffed, smacking at his chest feebly.

"No, genius! Did you seriously expect him to be?"

"I'm not sure what I expected, but I will take note of the fact that you have dubbed me a genius."

Valeria gave a weak smile, then went to retrieve her purse and jacket. After taking out her keys, she unlocked the door and the two entered the dorm. Once inside, Ryan took his usual place in the middle of the couch, then patted the spot beside him. Valeria sat down as well, sighing and wiping her eyes.

"So, what happened?" he asked, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders. The redhead leaned against him, but was silent for a long moment before answering.

"It was a prank," Valeria finally said, "at my expense. His fraternity showed up and the surprise was out."

Ryan simply stared for a moment, trying to process what he had just heard.

"Are you serious? God, Val, that's -"

"I don't want to think about it. You know, actually, I would love it if you would sing." Ryan raised an eyebrow at this request, so she added, "Your voice... It's comforting. I love listening to you sing."

So he did. He continued to sing even after she fell asleep, her head on his shoulder and her arms wrapped around his waist. This was how Danielle found them an hour later when she arrived back at the dorm from her date. When the Latina entered, Ryan stopped singing and gave a small sigh of relief.

"Hey," he greeted softly. Danielle waved silently, then motioned to Valeria with a puzzled look. "Long story. She had a rough night. How was yours? It's getting pretty late... I was worried."

"Ryan, it's barely ten 'o' clock," Danielle stated, pointing to the glowing digital clock that sat atop the television. "My night was fine."

"How was your date? He didn't turn out to be a serial killer, I hope," the blond jested, earning a gentle thump to his shoulder when Danielle sat down beside him.

"No, he's great. We had to leave the movie early because he started feeling a little sick, though. So we walked around the park and talked for a while to get some fresh air," she said.

Ryan silently thanked any and every higher power out there for that explanation for Danielle's disappearance from the theater. He hadn't been expecting a reason quite so benign.

"That sounds great," he breathed, with perhaps a bit too much enthusiasm. Danielle raised an eyebrow.

"Ryan, I pity you for what I'm sure you're going to go through when Valeria and I find men to marry," she declared. "It's probably going to cause you more grief than our fathers."

"You're probably right," Ryan mused, looking back and forth between Danielle and the sleeping form of Valeria. "Promise that you won't get married for at least a few years, alright? I'm not sure I could take it." Danielle laughed.

"I promise. For the both of us."


End file.
